We are in an era when the family and family values are being defined and discussed at length by everyone, most conspicuously the politicians. Certainly, we need to talk about family values but in a way that doesn’t limit our understanding and appreciation of the complex dynamics involved. The author/psychologist Salvador Minuchin says that the historical, ideal family is a point in history that never existed. Minuchin continues by saying that family must be studied in a social context when we detail what family and family values should be. (Minuchin 20)
When families are viewed in a social context they can then be discussed with regard to values that may include tolerance, support, responsibility to others, and accommodation. These values will exist in different forms, in different social groups, and in different social contexts.
Indeed, the American family is changing. Some of these changes have important implications for children and their development. In 1955, 60% of households matched the traditional pattern of one father, one mother, and two children; today, 7% of the households have this configuration. Out of 80 million households today, 9.5% million are headed by a single parent, 16% of whom are under age 25, and 50% of whom are unemployed. Sixty-one percent of the mothers with children under 18 work, and this figure rises to 68% for mothers who are also single parents. (Eggen 125)
What impact is all this having on children? Research offers some insights into this problem. The presence or absence of a preschooler’s working mother is less important than the quality of day care provided. (Eggen 125) Another example shows that while divorce is difficult for children, they are better off in happy single-parent households than they are in two-parent families filled with stress and disharmony. (Eggen 126) Some researchers argue that the primary problem with single-parent households is not the lack of a second parent, but rather lowered income and poverty that is present. It would seem the structure of the family unit is not as important as the quality of the interaction within it.
All individuals share a universal bond in common: We are all part of a family. The family is the basic building block of every culture. The dynamics that form each family’s cultural values and standards are unique and diverse. Families vary greatly from culture to culture. Within a culture, a family will also vary in size, members, and financial status. However, the family unit itself shares basic similarities as a common thread.
The students in my class are at a critical point in their own lives. They need knowledge of their culture, who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. The greatest source of strength for them, their families, is often their greatest source of anxiety and disappointment. This unit will then provide an opportunity to discuss family life and values with regards to differences and commonalties, not in terms of better or worse. The implications for teachers are clear, to nurture the social and emotional needs of the students, particularly when the family environment for certain children is lacking.
The study of literature allows teachers and students to discuss diversity and development in a non-threatening manner. Students are much more likely to discuss sensitive topics and gain some insight into themselves when they refer to characters in a book. The characters allow students to see that change and diversity are universal characteristics of all humans.
Hopefully this unit will begin to make them think about their own family experiences, how they act in their family and how they are acted upon. I would like them to develop an awareness of their emotions and their own “values” as they relate to the family situation as members of an entity and as individuals. Essentially, I would like this unit to help my students get to know themselves in a more mature and reflective manner.
